• Want to sign as an individual as well? Find our open letter for individuals here!
• Want more detail? Visit our resources page for links to two-page summaries and the full Solar Our Learning report

We’re calling on state and federal governments to fund solar panels and batteries for every school and early childhood centre in Australia that doesn’t yet have solar - or needs more.

It's a no brainer: creating clean local jobs Australia-wide, slashing school and centre electricity costs, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to protect our climate. We're asking state and federal governments to make this a reality.

Solar and batteries significantly cut power bills for schools and early childhood centres by using and storing free energy from the sun. 

• Save $114,000 in annual energy bills per large school*
• Save $12,700 in small schools*
• Saving $12,400 - $14,600 per early childhood centres**

To achieve these savings, schools and centres need grant funding for their solar and battery system, and to become part of a "virtual power plant" where they can sell their excess solar power to the community.

Will your organisation endorse our open letter to state and federal leaders?

Open letter: 

Dear Federal, State and Territory leaders, 

We call on all governments to work together to Solar Our Learning, by funding solar and batteries for every school and early childhood centre in Australia (with means-tested grants for privately-owned schools and for-profit early learning centres). 

This will slash school and early chidhood centre energy bills, freeing up more funds for learning resources and childcare places. It will save large schools $114,000 in energy bills per year and small schools $12,700 per year (Beyond Zero Emissions) and early childhood centres $12,400 - $14,600 per year (Utilizer Energy Consultants). Create at least 6,870 renewable energy jobs in all regions of Australia. Protect schools and early childhood centres from future energy price rises, reducing financial pressures on services and parents alike. And help secure a safe climate for young and future Australians by saving millions of tonnes of carbon emissions.

This is Australia’s largest clean energy proposal that will benefit every community in the country. Let’s Solar Our Learning.

 

ADD YOUR ORGANISATION NAME TO THE OPEN LETTER

The Solar Our Learning open letter is endorsed by:

Sources:

* Beyond Zero Emissions ‘Million Jobs Plan’ 2020 - This plan, developed in conjunction with Tesla, provides for large schools to utilise 250kW of solar plus a medium battery and small schools to use 25kW of solar panels plus a small battery.  

** Based on a analysis of a random selection of 500 childcare provider energy consumptions figures, conducted for Parents for Climate by Utilizer Energy Consultants

Multiply your impact

Share this campaign with your networks and help build an unstoppable wave of positive public support for Solar Our Learning.

Can you help our campaign to Solar Our Learning by chipping in a few dollars or volunteering on our team?

Want to read more about the benefits of putting solar on schools?

Read our Actions and FAQs page here.

After 15 years of campaign management and senior leadership roles for global and national non-government organisations in Australia and the UK, Nic took a year out to care for his second child. He then joined Parents for Climate as its CEO in 2021, determined to facilitate effective public pressure for climate action. Nic brings his experience in delivering award winning public campaigns, rapid strategy development and organisational leadership to support the team at Parents for Climate to achieve rapid growth and strategic impact.

Nic lives in Sydney with his two incredible kids and an inspiring partner. They have a lot of fun exploring nature and playing together.

"I’m really excited to be taking up the position of CEO of Parents for Climate. What we do now will decide the scale of the challenge our kids face. We can act now for a safe climate for all families. That’s why I’m passionate about this role. I get to work with a skilled and talented movement of people who are driven by their love for the kids in their lives."

"Our parenting years are busy. We work hard at home and in our jobs. But these years are also the most beautiful moments of our lives. Every action we take as parents creates happier, healthier lives for our children too. So thank you for taking action, working hard and for everything you do to make the climate safer for all. I look forward to working alongside you on our journey to securing a safe climate."

Increase your impact by sharing with your networks on Facebook:

Or copy this link to share with your networks: https://www.ap4ca.org/dutyofcare

And if you'd like to support Australian Parents for Climate Action, you can chip in here:

This Mother’s Day parents around Australia are preparing to take their children to the Climate Strikes on May 21 to call for Federal government action on climate. But how do we communicate about climate change with our children without giving them - and ourselves - anxiety? 

A free online event Transforming Climate Grief on Monday May 10th, hosted by Australian Parents for Climate Action, will unpack answers to these big questions. The panel will delve into the personal story of TV presenter and author Jonica Newby, who went on a quest to heal her own climate grief. 

Tasmanian parents are welcoming election commitments from both major parties to implement a $5m renewable energy program in the state’s schools, with the Liberals matching Labor.

Parents who helped push for the promise are today celebrating. 

“This is a win for our children, because renewable energy in schools will create local jobs, save money on school electricity bills and reduce carbon emissions”, says Hobart mother Madeline Hanson.

The Parents for Climate local group network is a critical source of power to effect change and protect our children’s future. We have local groups across all Australian states and territories, check out the locations below.

They're welcoming and supportive, and we would love to meet you online or in person! If you are a parent, carer, family member or anyone who cares about kids, to advocate for urgent action on climate. Get involved!

Our Parent Groups are action-oriented, locally connected and all over the country. We plan family-friendly, non-partisan activities that engage communities, engage politicians in climate solutions, and amplify positive stories.

Why join a local group of parents who care about a safe climate?

• Connect with families in your local community
• Empower and educate your community with positive solutions
• Win local and national campaigns
• Develop constructive relationships with key decision makers
• Amplify positive stories through local and social media
• Build and strengthen a strong climate movement across the country

If there is no local group near you, please email us to see if we can connect you with local parents who want to take action on climate. Or perhaps you'd like to start a group in your local area? We'd love to support you.

Let's join forces for a safe climate for our kids! 

You're invited to join the growing community of +20,000 parents and carers who are working together to ensure a safer climate for our children. 

By joining forces, we can drive greater action from government, big business, and within our local communities.

We are united by our love for our kids and grandkids and guided by our vision for a safe, prosperous future for all children.

Sign up become a supporter and receive the latest news, events and actions you can get involved in.

Welcome to the Parents for Climate community!

Whilst the Australian federal government has set a net zero target for 2050, we can all reduce our own carbon emissions now by making Personal Change. But we must also push governments and businesses to act by working toward Local Change and Widespread Change.

Enter your email address here and we will send you our handy climate action checklist, which includes:

1. The Big Picture on Carbon

2. Goal: Personal Change

• Use less fossil fuels at home
• Cut your emissions from transport
• Move your money!
• Offset your carbon emissions
• Support climate justice
• Eat less meat
• Reduce food waste

3. Goal: Local Change

• Reduce your school or preschool’s carbon emissions
• Start more climate conversations
• Share your story
• Find your tribe
• Hit the streets
• Lobby your council
• Run for election, or support someone else to do so

4. Goal: Widespread Change

• Campaign for climate action at the Federal Election
  
• Help to Solar Our Schools
• Create your own petition
• Add your name to demand a national Climate Bill

5. Sources and Further Reading

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

28 JANUARY 2021

AUSTRALIAN PARENTS for Climate Action has renewed calls for the Federal Government to prioritise funding for solar panels on every school and early childhood education centre in Australia, ahead of the deadline for public submissions for the next Federal Budget.

Write to the Northern Territory Minister for Education asking her to work in partnership with the federal government to support funding and remove barriers to Solar Our Schools.

You can cut and paste the template below and customise it where indicated. Or write your own letter.

Email your letter to: [email protected]

Please also bcc our Volunteer Director [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

The Hon Lauren Moss MP Minister for Education

GPO Box 3146 Darwin NT 0801

Dear Minister,

RE Solar Infrastructure for Schools & Early Learning Centres

INSERT: Brief specific info — how many children you have, where you live and why you are worried about their future due to climate change.

I am writing to ask the Northern Territory State Government to work in partnership with the Federal Government to support Solar Our Schools: a COVID-19 recovery initiative that would see solar panels and batteries in all schools and early childhood centres across Australia. 

This excellent economic investment will:

• Create many thousands of regional and local jobs
• Save schools and early childhood centres thousands of dollars per year to put towards educational resources
• Immediately reduce carbon emissions

I am one of more than 11,000 parents nationwide who have signed Australian Parents for Climate Action's open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Federal support for Solar Our Schools.

In the past the Northern Territory Government has funded some state schools to get solar panels, however there are still many state schools without solar or with insufficient solar, and very few with batteries. 

In addition, many early childhood centres and small independent schools across the Northern Territory do not have solar or batteries, and find the financial and administrative burden too great to access solar.

Installing solar panels in a distributed way across the rooftops of early childhood centres and schools allows them to generate solar for their operations, saving them many thousands of dollars in electricity bills, which can be put towards teaching and learning resources.

INSERT: Brief information about your own kids' school/preschools and whether they have solar. Why would solar (or more solar) and batteries be good for your school/preschool?

What's exciting about coupling solar with batteries is that it unlocks the ability of schools and early childhood centres to become Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) — allowing them to trade their excess solar power with the community via an energy market operator. 

Homes like mine in the surrounding area can choose to buy dispatchable energy from school VPPs, enabling the school to earn money to put towards learning resources. This will also stabilize the grid during peak demand events. Schools are closed during most peak demand events — weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Enabling every Australian school and early childhood centre to act as VPPs would provide also 1000 megawatts of dispatchable power into the electricity grid — the equivalent of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

Importantly, allowing schools to act as VPPs also enables their surrounding communities to have a resilient local power source and emergency safe haven, which is increasingly important in regional areas as we face climate-related big weather events.

I ask that you commit to working with the Federal Government to:

• Fund solar panels for state schools, who do not yet have solar or who have an insufficiently small syste
• Fund a roll-out of batteries in all state schools
• Support solar panels and batteries for NT early childhood centres and independent schools
• Support schools operating as Virtual Power Plants

INSERT: Brief personal message about why this is so important to you.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

(Your full name and address)

-------------------------------------------------------

What else can you do to progress Solar Our Schools?

Sign and share the Open Letter.

Sign up as a Solar Our Schools Champion to get involved at a state and local level.

Donate to the campaign to Solar Our Schools.

Northern Territory White Outline Map Australia from Vector.me

Write to the Western Australia Minister for Education and Training asking her to work in partnership with the federal government to support funding and remove barriers to Solar Our Schools.

You can cut and paste the templates below and customise it where indicated. Or write your own letter.

Email your letter to: [email protected]

Please also bcc our Volunteer Director [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

The Hon Sue Ellery MP, Minister for Education and Training

Level 13, Dumas House, 2 Havelock Street, 

WEST PERTH WA 6005

Dear Minister,

RE Solar Infrastructure for Schools & Early Learning Centres

INSERT: Brief specific info — how many children you have, where you live and why you are worried about their future due to climate change.

I am writing to you to congratulate your government's recent pre-election announcement to fund a $44.6 million Schools Clean Energy Technology package, and further ask the Western Australian State Government to work in partnership with the Federal Government to support Solar Our Schools: a COVID-19 recovery initiative that would see solar panels and batteries in all schools and early childhood centres across Australia. 

This excellent economic investment will:

• Create many thousands of regional and local jobs
• Save schools and early childhood centres thousands of dollars per year to put towards educational resources
• Immediately reduce carbon emissions

I am one of more than 11,000 parents nationwide who have signed Australian Parents for Climate Action's open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Federal support for Solar Our Schools.

Western Australia has made good progress in installing solar and batteries on some state schools, but there is still a large number of schools without solar or with insufficient solar, and many more without batteries. Many Western Australian early childhood centres and independent schools find the financial and administrative burden too great to access solar or batteries.

Installing solar panels in a distributed way across the rooftops of early childhood centres and schools allows them to generate solar for their operations, saving them many thousands of dollars in electricity bills, which can be put towards teaching and learning resources.

INSERT: Brief information about your own kids' school/preschools and whether they have solar. Why would solar (or more solar) and batteries be good for your school/preschool?

What's exciting about coupling solar with batteries is that it unlocks the ability of schools and early childhood centres to become Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) — allowing them to trade their excess solar power with the community via an energy market operator. 

Homes like mine in the surrounding area can choose to buy dispatchable energy from school VPPs, enabling the school to earn money to put towards learning resources. This will also stabilize the grid during peak demand events. Schools are closed during most peak demand events — weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Enabling every Australian school and early childhood centre to act as VPPs would provide also 1000 megawatts of dispatchable power into the electricity grid — the equivalent of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

Importantly, allowing schools to act as VPPs also enables their surrounding communities to have a resilient local power source and emergency safe haven, which is increasingly important in regional areas as we face climate-related big weather events.

I ask that you commit to working with the Federal Government to:

• Fund solar panels for state schools, who do not yet have solar or who have an insufficiently small system
• Fund a roll-out of batteries in all state schools
• Support solar panels and batteries for WA early childhood centres and independent schools
• Support schools operating as Virtual Power Plants

INSERT: Brief personal message about why this is so important to you.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

(Your full name and address)

-------------------------------------------------------

What else can you do to progress Solar Our Schools?

Sign and share the Open Letter.

Sign up as a Solar Our Schools Champion to get involved at a state and local level.

Donate to the campaign to Solar Our Schools.

Western Australia Outline from Vector.me

Write to the Victorian Minister for Education asking him to work in partnership with the federal government to support funding and remove barriers to Solar Our Schools.

You can cut and paste the template below and customise it where indicated. Or write your own letter.

Email your letter to: [email protected]

Please also bcc our Volunteer Director [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

The Hon James Merlino MP Minister for Education

GPO Box 4367 Melbourne Vic 3001

Dear Minister,

RE Solar Infrastructure for Schools & Early Learning Centres

INSERT: Brief specific info — how many children you have, where you live and why you are worried about their future due to climate change.

I am writing to ask the Victorian State Government to work in partnership with the Federal Government to support Solar Our Schools: a COVID-19 recovery initiative that would see solar panels and batteries in all schools and early childhood centres across Australia. 

This excellent economic investment will:

• Create many thousands of regional and local jobs
• Save schools and early childhood centres thousands of dollars per year to put towards educational resources
• Immediately reduce carbon emissions

I am one of more than 11,000 parents nationwide who have signed Australian Parents for Climate Action's open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Federal support for Solar Our Schools.

We welcome the Victorian Government’s recent announcement of 600MW of renewable energy to be sourced from wind and solar farms in order to power Victoria’s state schools, hospitals and trains. 

Providing solar and batteries to schools directly is a great opportunity to further bolster renewable energy take-up. There are still many Victorian state schools without solar or with insufficient solar, and none with batteries. Many Victorian early childhood centres and independent schools find the financial and administrative burden too great to access solar or batteries. Installing solar panels in a distributed way across the rooftops of early childhood centres and schools allows them to generate solar for their operations, saving them many thousands of dollars in electricity bills, which can be put towards teaching and learning resources.

INSERT: Brief information about your own kids' school/preschools and whether they have solar. Why would solar (or more solar) and batteries be good for your school/preschool?

What's exciting about coupling solar with batteries is that it unlocks the ability of schools and early childhood centres to become Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) — allowing them to trade their excess solar power with the community via an energy market operator. 

Homes like mine in the surrounding area can choose to buy dispatchable energy from school VPPs, enabling the school to earn money to put towards learning resources. This will also stabilize the grid during peak demand events. Schools are closed during most peak demand events — weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Enabling every Australian school and early childhood centre to act as VPPs would provide also 1000 megawatts of dispatchable power into the electricity grid — the equivalent of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

Importantly, allowing schools to act as VPPs also enables their surrounding communities to have a resilient local power source and emergency safe haven, which is increasingly important in regional areas as we face climate-related big weather events.

I ask that you commit to working with the Federal Government to:

• Fund solar panels for state schools, who do not yet have solar or who have an insufficiently small system
• Fund a roll-out of batteries in all state schools
• Support solar panels and batteries for Victorian early childhood centres and independent schools
• Support schools operating as Virtual Power Plants

INSERT: Brief personal message about why this is so important to you.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

(Your full name and address)

-------------------------------------------------------

What else can you do to progress Solar Our Schools?

Sign and share the Open Letter.

Sign up as a Solar Our Schools Champion to get involved at a state and local level.

Donate to the campaign to Solar Our Schools.

Victoria Map Outline Australia State from Vector.me 

Write to the South Australian Minister for Education asking him to work in partnership with the federal government to support funding and remove barriers to Solar Our Schools.

You can cut and paste the template below and customise it where indicated. Or write your own letter.

Email your letter to: [email protected]

Please also bcc our Volunteer Director [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

The Hon John Gardner MP, Minister for Education
GPO Box 1563 Adelaide SA 5001

Dear Minister,

RE Solar Infrastructure for Schools & Early Learning Centres

INSERT: Brief specific info — how many children you have, where you live and why you are worried about their future due to climate change.

I am writing to ask the South Australian State Government to work in partnership with the Federal Government to support Solar Our Schools: a COVID-19 recovery initiative that would see solar panels and batteries in all schools and early childhood centres across Australia. 

This excellent economic investment will:

• Create many thousands of regional and local jobs
• Save schools and early childhood centres thousands of dollars per year to put towards educational resources
• Immediately reduce carbon emissions

I am one of more than 11,000 parents nationwide who have signed Australian Parents for Climate Action's open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Federal support for Solar Our Schools.

South Australia has made good progress in installing solar on state schools, but there is still a large number of schools without solar or with insufficient solar, and none with batteries. Many SA early childhood centres and independent schools find the financial and administrative burden too great to access solar or batteries.

Installing solar panels in a distributed way across the rooftops of early childhood centres and schools allows them to generate solar for their operations, saving them many thousands of dollars in electricity bills, which can be put towards teaching and learning resources.

INSERT: Brief information about your own kids' school/preschools and whether they have solar. Why would solar (or more solar) and batteries be good for your school/preschool

What's exciting about coupling solar with batteries is that it unlocks the ability of schools and early childhood centres to become Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) — allowing them to trade their excess solar power with the community via an energy market operator. 

Homes like mine in the surrounding area can choose to buy dispatchable energy from school VPPs, enabling the school to earn money to put towards learning resources. This will also stabilize the grid during peak demand events. Schools are closed during most peak demand events — weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Enabling every Australian school and early childhood centre to act as VPPs would provide also 1000 megawatts of dispatchable power into the electricity grid — the equivalent of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

Importantly, allowing schools to act as VPPs also enables their surrounding communities to have a resilient local power source and emergency safe haven, which is increasingly important in regional areas as we face climate-related big weather events.

I ask that you commit to working with the Federal Government to:

• Fund solar panels for state schools, who do not yet have solar or who have an insufficiently small system
• Fund a roll-out of batteries in all state schools
• Support solar panels and batteries for SA early childhood centres and independent schools
• Support schools operating as Virtual Power Plants

INSERT: Brief personal message about why this is so important to you.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

(Your full name and address)

-------------------------------------------------------

What else can you do to progress Solar Our Schools?

Sign and share the Open Letter.

Sign up as a Solar Our Schools Champion to get involved at a state and local level.

Donate to the campaign to Solar Our Schools.

Geography Australia Map South Coastline from Vector.me

Write to the Tasmanian Minister for Education and Training asking him to work in partnership with the federal government to support funding and remove barriers to Solar Our Schools.

You can cut and paste the template below and customise it where indicated. Or write your own letter.

Email your letter to: jeremy.rockliff@parliament.tas.gov.au

Please also bcc our Volunteer Director [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------

The Hon Jeremy Rockliff MP, Minister for Education and Training
Level 10, 15 Murray Street Hobart Tas 7000

Dear Minister,

RE Solar Infrastructure for Schools & Early Learning Centres

INSERT: Brief specific info — how many children you have, where you live and why you are worried about their future due to climate change.

I am writing to ask the Tasmanian State Government to work in partnership with the Federal Government to support Solar Our Schools: a COVID-19 recovery initiative that would see solar panels and batteries in all schools and early childhood centres across Australia. 

This excellent economic investment will:

• Create many thousands of regional and local jobs
• Save schools and early childhood centres thousands of dollars per year to put towards educational resources
• Immediately reduce carbon emissions

I am one of more than 12,000 parents nationwide who have signed Australian Parents for Climate Action's open letter to the Prime Minister calling for Federal support for Solar Our Schools.

We congratulate you for implementing the $5m Renewable Energy Schools Fund in 2021. Tasmania has no current programs for installing batteries on state schools. There are still many Tasmanian state schools without solar or with insufficient solar, and many early childhood centres and independent schools find the financial and administrative burden too great to access solar or batteries.

Installing solar panels in a distributed way across the rooftops of early childhood centres and all schools allows them to generate solar for their operations, saving them many thousands of dollars in electricity bills, which can be put towards teaching and learning resources.

INSERT: Brief information about your own kids' school/preschools and whether they have solar. Why would solar (or more solar) and batteries be good for your school/preschool?

What's exciting about coupling solar with batteries is that it unlocks the ability of schools and early childhood centres to become Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) — allowing them to trade their excess solar power with the community via an energy market operator. 

Homes like mine in the surrounding area can choose to buy dispatchable energy from school VPPs, enabling the school to earn money to put towards learning resources. This will also stabilize the grid during peak demand events. Schools are closed during most peak demand events — weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Enabling every Australian school and early childhood centre to act as VPPs would provide also 1000 megawatts of dispatchable power into the electricity grid — the equivalent of the Liddell coal-fired power plant.

Importantly, allowing schools to act as VPPs also enables their surrounding communities to have a resilient local power source and emergency safe haven, which is increasingly important in regional areas as we face climate-related big weather events.

I ask that you commit to working with the Federal Government to:

• Fund solar panels for all state schools, who do not yet have solar or who have an insufficiently small system
• Fund a roll-out of batteries in all state schools
• Support solar panels and batteries for Tasmanian early childhood centres and independent schools
• Support schools operating as Virtual Power Plants

INSERT: Brief personal message about why this is so important to you.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

(Your full name and address)

-------------------------------------------------------

What else can you do to progress Solar Our Schools?

Sign and share the Open Letter.

Sign up as a Solar Our Schools Champion to get involved at a state and local level.

Donate to the campaign to Solar Our Schools.

Image: Tasmania Outline White Map Australia from Vector.me

MEDIA RELEASE - 7TH OCTOBER 2020

Opportunity missed for a Green Recovery

Australian parents asking for a safer future for their children have been ignored in this Federal Budget, saying a key opportunity has been badly missed for a green recovery from Covid-19 that also addresses the dire climate threat.

More than 10,000 parents sent a loud message to the Federal Government in the lead up to the Federal Budget that they want investment in renewable energy, in the form of an innovative initiative Solar Our Schools, which would see solar and batteries put on all schools and early childhood centres. 

But the government has instead chosen to invest in a gas-led recovery, embedding its relationship with the fossil fuel industry.

More than 10,000 Australian parents have signed an open letter asking Prime Minister Scott Morrison to fund solar panels and batteries for all Australian schools and early childhood centres. A COVID-safe convoy of 20 parents delivered the petition via a ‘solar-powered cubby house’ to the Prime Minister’s residence at Kirribilli House, on Wednesday 30th of September 2020.